Coventry vs Bolton Predictions

• Coventry are one of only two League 1 teams to have conceded less than ten goals at home this term.
• Bolton are currently the lowest scoring away team in League 1. They’ve scored just five goals in 11 travelling matches.
• Coventry are League 1’s best team in terms of shots on target conceded at home.

Sky Blues in the hunt

Coventry continued to establish themselves as a top-six team last time out, as they got the better of Bristol Rovers away from home, winning by two goals to one. Mark Robins’ men are now unbeaten in seven league matches, four of which they’ve won.

Whereas they were previously struggling to score goals, or rather they sometimes found it tough to score the goals that their efforts warranted, the Sky Blues have been productive in the final third of late, while still retaining solidity at the back. Coventry have scored in six out of seven during their current unbeaten run, notching a total of 13 goals. They’ve shipped just five at the other end, keeping three clean sheets in the process. At their adopted home of St. Andrew’s, Saturday’s hosts are unbeaten in six. They’ve lost just once at “home” this season.

Trotters scrapping

A quick glance at league table shows us that Bolton are on route to League 2, though they’re not going down without putting in a shift. Keith Hill’s men come into this game off the back of avoiding defeat in each of their last two, while they won last time out, beating Tranmere by two goals to nil. Interestingly, had the Trotters not started on -12 points, then they’d be six points shy of safety rather than 17. It’s also easy to feel that they’d be very close to safety had Hill (and a full squad) been present from the outset.

Bolton’s recent efforts should be applauded, as should the work that Keith Hill and his staff have done over the last three or four months. However, the Trotters remain a weak travelling team. They’ve won none of their last six away games, five of which they’ve lost. During that time, they’ve shipped 17 goals and have scored just two in reply. They’ve failed to find the net in four of their last five on the road. Such stats do not bode well ahead of a match against the side that has the joint-best home defensive record in the division.

Routine win for the hosts

Bolton come into this match off the back of two pleasing efforts at home, but their away-day woes cannot be ignored, especially given the opposition that they’re up against. That said, we shouldn’t necessarily expect the hosts to run riot. In the betting, ‘Coventry to Win & Under 3.5 Goals’ stands out. The home efforts of the Sky Blues have simply been far better than Bolton’s exploits on the road, there can be no denying that, though Coventry haven’t made a habit of recording high-scoring wins at this venue. This term, Robins’ men have scored more than twice just once at St. Andrew’s, where less than four goals have been scored in 92% of their matches. Combine this with Bolton’s severe lack of goals on the road and a relatively low-scoring, but ultimately routine home win is worth siding with.